evival of form. A cherry on the cake is that Franco Morbidelli and Pecco Bagnaia have both won Moto2 championships and are now swapping paint with their mentor in the premier class. The Italian nation has undoubtedly seen a rise in form since the doldrums of 2013, and it is all down to one man – Valentino Rossi. The actual academy in which these riders are recruited, while famous in racing tongues, is quite elusive. We know that it is run, from an organisational point of view, by Rossi’s good friends Albi and Uccio, with help from friends and family of Rossi’s that were with him growing up. Apart from some social media pages, that’s it. There is no website for it, no Wikipedia page, no press releases and no joining form. The meagre social media accounts are designed to give the riders extra exposure rather than punt the academy. This is not a business venture aimed at taking coin for lessons, but the passion of an individual who loves Italy nearly as much as he loves racing. Possibly to his own detriment, he is training young riders that stand a real chance of beating him one day, all because this is what he loves. It began not with youngsters, but with Rossi’s friend and “brother” Marco Simoncelli, the flamboyant star who lost his life in a crash at the 2011 Malaysian MotoGP round. At the time, Rossi’s reclusive training regime was shared only by Simoncelli whom Rossi mentored, shared ideas with and used as extra motivation. His death left a void in his racing and life between races, one that needed filling. This is where the idea of working with and training other riders stemmed from. At first, it was a casual affair with riders Rossi was already friendly with, like Franco Morbidelli. In 2014, it became an official institution, and other youngsters with potential were recruited. The academy is based in Tavullia, a sloping town in the rolling hills near the East coast of northern Italy, a mere 27km from the Misano race track. It’s also the home town of Rossi and doubles as a shrine to the nine-times world champion. Near the town, on a piece of land owned by father Graziano, is the famous VR46 Ranch, a three-kilometre flat track built out of special white sand that forms a double dirt oval with stadium Celebrating his brother Luca Marini after his first Moto2 win. The Doctor with Franco. ROSSI’S Compulsory English lessons every week. 46 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JUNE 2019